Study after study confirms that reading aloud to children is so beneficial in so many ways. The older our students get the less of a priority reading aloud becomes both in school and at home. My first year teaching fifth grade it took almost the entire year to get through one read aloud chapter book because we just never had enough time. Or, if I'm being honest, it was because I never made it a priority.
The reality of our education system is that there is too much to teach and not enough time, and this is where I feel that we can leverage our technology resources to offset SOME of this imbalance. You may not have time to do a whole class read aloud as much as you would like, but there are so many recorded read alouds that students can access.
Just to be clear, I am not by any means equating a recorded read aloud with an in person one. Everything is always far more engaging and authentic in person than on video, but if you are looking for a way to give your students exposure to more books, more words, more ideas, more cultures, and increase their love of reading then I recommend you check out these resources. These can easily be shared with students through Seesaw or Google Classroom, or posted on your classroom website for easy access.
Storyline Online: Videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations.
Just Read Books Aloud: Books read aloud by normal people and kids. Typically the reader is not shown, just the pages in the book. *Site does contain ads.
Kids Read 2 Kids: Abridged version of classics read by kids. The reader is shown instead of the pages in the book.
Also don't forget Tumblebooks and Bookflix have "read alongs" and in EPIC! students can choose to listen to audiobooks or "read to me" books.
There are TONS of YouTube channels with great children's books read aloud. Here are just a few.
Books Read Aloud for Children (YouTube Channel): Books read aloud by a narrator. The reader is not shown, just the pages in the book.
Storybook Nanny (YouTube channel): Books read aloud by a narrator. The reader is not shown, just the pages in the book. Includes soft background music.
Katie's Bookshelf Classroom (YouTube Channel): Books read aloud by a narrator. The reader is not shown, just the pages in the book.
Are there any other great read aloud resources you use? Comment below or send me an email.
Happy reading....and listening!
The reality of our education system is that there is too much to teach and not enough time, and this is where I feel that we can leverage our technology resources to offset SOME of this imbalance. You may not have time to do a whole class read aloud as much as you would like, but there are so many recorded read alouds that students can access.
Just to be clear, I am not by any means equating a recorded read aloud with an in person one. Everything is always far more engaging and authentic in person than on video, but if you are looking for a way to give your students exposure to more books, more words, more ideas, more cultures, and increase their love of reading then I recommend you check out these resources. These can easily be shared with students through Seesaw or Google Classroom, or posted on your classroom website for easy access.
Websites
These should all work on desktop, chromebook or iPad.Storyline Online: Videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations.
Just Read Books Aloud: Books read aloud by normal people and kids. Typically the reader is not shown, just the pages in the book. *Site does contain ads.
Kids Read 2 Kids: Abridged version of classics read by kids. The reader is shown instead of the pages in the book.
Also don't forget Tumblebooks and Bookflix have "read alongs" and in EPIC! students can choose to listen to audiobooks or "read to me" books.
YouTube Channels
Wait, don't be scared off! I know that lots of teachers shy away from using youtube with students because it is easy for them to become distracted with all of the related videos and ads. But YouTube is an unbelievable resource! To minimize the distractions, I suggest using viewpure.com prior to sending your students a video. All you have to do is copy the link from YouTube, paste it into viewpure, and click "purify." This will pull up a simple screen with JUST the video.
Books Read Aloud for Children (YouTube Channel): Books read aloud by a narrator. The reader is not shown, just the pages in the book.
Storybook Nanny (YouTube channel): Books read aloud by a narrator. The reader is not shown, just the pages in the book. Includes soft background music.
Katie's Bookshelf Classroom (YouTube Channel): Books read aloud by a narrator. The reader is not shown, just the pages in the book.
Are there any other great read aloud resources you use? Comment below or send me an email.
Happy reading....and listening!
